Sankalpa

Sankalpa, often defined as intention, is one of the most powerful practices in Yoga. It can and does change your life. Intention is so powerful that Rhonda Byrne wrote a best-selling book about it, The Secret. For a seemingly simple practice, there is a lot more to setting intention than meets the eye.

Rama Jyoti Vernon (www.ramajyotivernon.com) defines sankalpa as: san, “to become one with,” kalpa, “time,” sankalpa = becoming one with time. I love this breakdown of the Sanskrit word but I would like to look a little more at the word “time.” There are a number of ways to define the word time and we all have an understanding of it when we look at a clock, or feel its passage. But, what is time? Is it future? Is it past? Is it something that we can tangibly interact with (other than the counter that tells you where you need to be)? Time is an abstract notion and we have all agreed on a method of keeping it, so that we can meet each other in the same place at the same time. For the purposes of this discussion, it may be helpful to think of “time” as the present moment. From this thought comes my preferred definition of sankalpa, “becoming one with the present moment.”

In a Yoga class or session, a therapy appointment, even a meeting, you may be asked to set an intention. I always begin my classes, sessions and workshops, with an invitation for a sankalpa. Through my work with Amy Weintraub (www.yogafordepression.com), I have learned that this is a very integral portion of the Yoga practice. Your intention sets the stage for the work that you will be doing during the session/class. It may be the reason that you have come to the mat, or it may be the change that you are manifesting in your life through your Yoga practice. Whatever the origin of your sankalpa, think of it as your guide for your practice, on and off the mat.

Key points to setting an intention:

• Positive – focus on what you would like to manifest or bring into your life, rather than what you would like to get rid of
• Present Tense – as though it was already happening in your life
• Short – if your intention is too long, you are likely to forget parts of it
• Simple – stay away from complicated intentions, you don’t need more work

An example:
Let’s say that you tell me you would like to be less stressed out. I would ask you what the opposite of stressed out is, or what would it look like if you were less stressed. A couple of examples might be: peaceful, easeful, relaxed, calm, tranquil, etc. Then I would ask you to bring it into the present moment, following our guidelines. For instance, “I am peaceful,” or “Relaxation breathes through me now,” or “I am open and available to receive tranquility” (credit to Amy Weintraub).

 The last piece, that I feel is really important, is to anchor your intention. This can be done by cultivating a visualization, an image, or a feeling in the body. It may be a visualization of yourself achieving your intention; down to the minutest detail (what you are wearing, where you are). It may be an image that represents your intention. It could also be the feeling in the body when your intention is achieved.

“Whatever the mind thinks of, that alone it sees” Vasishta’sYoga, Swami Venkatesananda, page 92.

A Prayer for Peace

This Sunday is the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 - as if any of could escape this information. We all have our different ways of honoring those that have passed and those that continue to be touched by this tragedy. I would like to share a Sanskrit prayer with you.

Lokaha Samastaha Sukino Bhavantu

May all beings everywhere, be happy and free

And may I, in some way, contribute to that happiness and freedom

This is a prayer that we often chant after our practice of yoga, so that all may feel the peace that yoga brings. You may wish to chant this with specific individuals in mind, or perhaps an image of the globe before you, or even the universe.

This prayer can also be an act of devotion. Taking a moment to devote your practice can help to strengthen your commitment because you are showing up for someone other than yourself. Many of us can feel guilty when we take time to serve ourselves. We may feel or think that we do not deserve to our own attentions, or that others need to be taken care of first. But the truth is that we all deserve and have earned self-care. When you take time to care for yourself, you end up supporting those around you, sometimes in ways that you could never imagine.

Saying this prayer, whether you choose the Sanskrit or the English, can be a moment where you invite everyone to feel the bliss of oneness that comes from your practice.

To hear a version of this chant by Wah! click here

Introduction

I have been feeling, for some time, that I would like to share a bit more than I do. Many things occur to me in the midst of my Yoga practice, or studies, or teachings, that I would like to flesh out a bit more. Some of those things I would like to share with others. What better place to share these things than a blog?

Life is interesting and there is so much that we can learn from each other--it is wonderful that the internet has afforded us this possibility. In many ways, it separates us, but in other ways it brings us closer together. In those moments when we share an experience, we sometime light up with the realization that we are not so different or as separate as we thought. Maybe that expereince happens during a phone call, maybe you read the words from a display, and if we are lucky it happens in person. No matter where it happens, this shared experience shows us glimpses of our ultimate reality - that we are all deeply whole and connected.

Your thoughts on shared experiences?